Flint dispatchers save a man from carbon monoxide poisoning

FLINT, Michigan — Flint dispatchers managed to track down a man near death with carbon monoxide poisoning, saving his life even though he wasn't even in the city and they were given the wrong address to find him.

Flint 911 dispatchers Natalie Money and Kelly Claybrooks received a call Tuesday from a Saginaw woman. She said her boyfriend lives in the Flint area and was complaining of chest pains when his cellphone went dead.

The woman gave Money what she thought was his address, but when ambulance couldn't find the home, Money called the woman back.

"I asked her how she got to his house when she came to visit, I asked her for his cellphone number," Money said. "I had to get more information from her."

Money called the man's cellphone provider, which gave her the man's home address.

From there, Money was able to have the ambulance dispatched to the Flint Township home.

Emergency crews kicked in the door of the home, and found the 63-year-old man, whose name isn't being released, unconscious.

The man had been overcome with carbon monoxide from a generator he was using to power his home because power had been knocked out by high winds.

Emergency crews told Money the man was just minutes from death.

"Once they told me he survived, I was relieved," Money said.

Interim Flint Police Chief David Dicks said he plans to honor both women for their hard work.

"It's not everyday that they come into a situation like that," Dicks said. "And when they do, they're hardly ever recognized for it.

"This time, they will be recognized."

Money said she was just doing her job.

"Some people would have stopped at the ambulance couldn't find the house," Money said. "Other people will go the extra mile.